Deanston 1997 (Asta Morris)

This Deanston 1997 was launched a couple of weeks ago. In the tradition of the bubbly Asta Morris label, we’re expecting an easily drinkable, affordable whisky.

Deanston 15 yo 1997 (48,1%, Asta Morris 2013, ref. AM031, 342 btl.)

Nose: quite ponderous, with a lot of hay and heather honey. Roasted almonds. Not entirely fresh at first, there’s an overripe apple and something of wet cloth or wet leaves, which is not an asset in this case. Some melon and citrus. Buttered toast. A bit of a strange ensemble in my opinion. Mouth: quite a different story. Sweet and fruity, candied and creamy. Honey and caramelized peanuts. Pears in syrup. Hints of gingerbread. Dried apricot. A bit of ginger / pepper from the oak as well. Mocha in the end. Finish: oranges, some chocolate and spices. Medium long.

Entertaining whisky, but not entirely up my alley. It’s meant to be a bang-for-your-buck whisky anyway, so you might as well grab a bottle to see whether it fits your profile. Around € 50.

Respectfully I disagree with your last comment. I don’t think €50 for an 82-point whisky is bang-for-your-buck at all. That would need it to be €20 or so. For this kind of money I can find many whiskies in the 85-90 point range.

Jeroen TBD

Maybe it is in your 85-90 point range?

WhiskyNotes

What I wanted to say is rather that Asta Morris bottlings are always intended as bang-for-your-buck whiskies, not as super scorers. This isn’t my personal favourite of the series, but I still think it’s good value and I know many people will argue my score is a bit too low.

Rogier

Well, it might be, but then I’d want to try a sample first. I’m not going to buy this blind now, because I actually do trust Ruben’s notes to a reasonable degree. 😉

Rik D’huyvetters

I get the hay and heather honey, but not the wet cloth or leaves. Yes it has something ‘dirty’ but I like that in my whiskies. if you do too, you will like this one. Rogier, if you have tasted other Asta Morris bottles and liked them, you might want to look into this one. For me it is worth the money.

Rik D’huyvetters

Yes, a bit low, but if you don’t like the ‘dirty’ smell, that’s your prerogative